Freefall
by Danski
Summary: And suddenly, he's crying, crying like he never has before, the sobs heaving his body. Sakura is badly injured after a battle with a Clow card...One shot Sakura/Shaoran Kawaii-ness,


Sakura, her large feathery wings flapping hard, straining with the effort of keeping herself in the air, raised her staff, and with a cry of _"Return!"_ brought it down quickly near the monster's head.  
At least one hundred feet tall, and composed of a swirling grey fog, The creature was slowly sucked back into card form.  
However, right before it's head disappeared into the glowing rectangle it aimed one final blow, and a gust of grey mist was flung into Sakura's face. Scowling, she concentrated harder, and the card was imprisoned once again.  
  
Far below her, Sakura's friends await her return to the ground. Touya is impatient to get his little sister home, safe, and away from Li Shaoran, who is still nervously scanning the sky for any other signs of danger.  
  
Sakura grins, waves the card in the air and is about to yell that she is alright, when her voice catches, and she is unable to speak.  
  
Clutching her throat, Sakura coughs a few times, and the gasps. _'The card...it blew something at my face before...'_   
  
Finally, Sakura was able to choke out _"Can't...breathe.."_ before darkness consumed her.  
  
As her friends watch on in horror, Sakura's body turns upside down in mid-air and begins to fall...  
  
  
**FreeFall  
-Danski**   
  
It all happened in slow motion after that.  
  
The group of friends below watch helplessly as Sakura plummets closer and closer to the ground. Yukito desperately tries to transform into Yue, to somehow catch her before she is killed by the fall.  
He stumbles and leans on Touya, his power drained severely, unable to return to his angel form.  
Falling almost gracefully through the air, her hair whipping in the heavy wind, the wings of colourful material flying in all directions as she tumbles over and over, spiralling through space and time...  
  
A mere sixty feet or so from the ground now, Shaoran is fumbling in his robes. Releasing his sword from it's pendant, he flings a slip of paper into the air and strikes it with the silvery blade. With a cry of _"RAIDEN SHORAI!"_ a gust of wind escapes, and encircles Sakura, bringing her to a halt, thirty feet from the ground.  
  
The group below let out a sigh of relief as the cloud brings her slowly down.  
  
Too slowly.  
  
His hands shaking with the effort of keeping his sword up, Shaoran slips to his knees, desperately holding the spell long enough to lower her back onto the ground. His eyelids heavy, forcing them open proves to be the final strain.  
  
The sword fell to the ground with a dull clunk, and the magical paper vanished into nothing. As the power broke, the cloud of wind lowering Sakura safely downwards vanished, and the card mistress hit the ground with a sickening thump.  
Almost crawling, Shaoran begins to heave his way towards her unmoving form, his sword long forgotten.  
  
Tomoyo shrieks and begins to dash to her friend's side, only to be held back by two enormous wings.   
  
_"Kero-Chan...Why? Let me go!" _  
  
Tomoyo begins to beat against the golden creatures chest, sobbing as she does so. Touya stands, unbelieving before attempting to do the same thing. Yukito grasps onto him tightly, not letting go. Screaming for his friend to let him go, Touya thrashes, to no avail.  
  
Sakura lies in the grass, head tilted slightly to one side, pale and still. Her shiny auburn hair spills outwards on the grass, looking to all the world like a pool of blood.  
Shaoran crouched by her side before falling to his knees and grasping her shoulders. Shaoran shakes her gently for a moment.  
  
_"Sakura?"_ yelling her name again and again, shaking her mercilessly, she still does not wake.  
  
Pressing his ear to her chest, and panicking when he hears no heartbeat, he tilts her head back to attempt first aid. Pressing his lips against hers, Shaoran breathes oxygen into her lungs repeatedly, before lifting her wrist and holding it in his shaking fingers for a moment.  
  
His head droops suddenly downward, and he gently lowers her arm to the ground.  
  
Tomoyo faints dead away only to be caught by the wings of Keroberos, who lets out a howl of anguish.  
  
Touya stops struggling, and sinks to his knees in disbelief. _"No. It...it can't end like this.."_ breathes Yukito from behind him, as a tear rolls slowly down his usually smiling face.  
  
Wrapping his friend in his arms, Yukito sobs while Touya continues to stare, his face white, into nothing.  
  
Shaoran lets go of Sakura's wrist and trails a hand down her cool cheek. A droplet of water hits it. And another. And another...  
  
And suddenly, he's crying, crying like he never has before, the sobs heaving his body.  
Grasping Sakura, he presses her to his body, holding her tightly like he has always wanted to.  
One hand around her back, the other holding her neck, pressing her cheek to his, his tears spilling over his face and onto hers, rocking back and forth gently.  
  
Holding a sobbing Yukito, Touya watches as Shaoran holds his sister, his heaves as he cries shaking both of them, and finally he realises the Li boy's feelings, too late.  
  
One crystalline tear rolls down the warrior's cheek, and onto the ground. Suddenly, the magical circle of Clow appears underneath them before exploding into a flash of golden light.  
Fierce winds swept upwards, blowing Sakura and Shaoran's hair skyward, before disappearing as quickly as it had begun.  
  
With a gasp, Sakura begins breathing again. Shaoran lowers her away from him, so he can see her, one hand still gripping her back, the other gently holding her neck.  
  
_"Sakura..?"_ whispering her name, Shaoran begs for Sakura to open her eyes, to say something, anything so that he can be sure this is real, that she is alive.  
  
_"Please..."_  
  
Slowly, painstakingly, Sakura's eyelids fluttered once, twice, and then eased open. Tired emerald glanced around, landing on the person holding her.  
  
_"Sh..aoran? what happened?"_  
  
Shaoran couldn't answer, his throat tight with emotion. He held her close to his heart again, tears spilling over again, his heart beating fast again...  
  
Finally finding control of his vocal cords, Shaoran whispered into her hair, his voice muffled more so, choking out his words.  
  
_"You were dead"_ he began, shaking his head to dispel the image of her lying there, so pale and still.  
  
_"You fell...so high...I tried to..."_  
  
Sakura brought her arms up, heavy though they were, and wrapped them around him, rubbing his back to calm his sobbing.  
  
_"It's alright Shaoran...I'm here..."_  
  
Throw my arms wide open now  
Trusting you to show me how to let go  
And let you have it all  
I leave my faith in me behind   
My hope in you is all that I hold on to  
As I freefall  
As I freefall  



End file.
